Apparatus for a shot peening treatment

Abstract

A shot-peening device(s) is installed on a side of a cabinet defining an ejection chamber in the cabinet. Shots ejected from the device to a workpiece fall and are conveyed in a horizontal direction by a horizontal screw conveyor positioned above a lower end of the cabinet and then conveyed upward by a vertical screw conveyor whose base end is above the lower end of the cabinet. The shots pass from an upper section of the vertical screw conveyor through a chute to reach an opening/closing gate. When the gate is opened and the shots are supplied to the device(s) for re-ejeciton, a portion of the shots is cause to overflow from the gate. The overflowed shots are caused to pass through a separator to remove impurities and then returned to the horizontal screw conveyor.

1. An apparatus for a shot-peening treatment comprising a housing having upper and bottom ends and defining an interior therein, a movable carriage for movably supporting an object to be treated within said interior, at least one shot projection means for projecting shot particles to the object supported on said carriage, a shot circulation system having a collecting level at which said projected and fallen shot particles are collected and returned to said shot projection means to recycle and use the collected shot particles for projection wherein said collecting level is located at a level that is the same as or above that of said bottom end of said housing, said circulation system having at least one cross feeder that is arranged horizontally at said collecting level, for cross feeding collected shot particles, and at least one vertical feeder for upwardly feeding the collected shot particles that are cross fed by said cross feeder, a diversion means that communicates with said vertical feeder at a fixed position above said collecting level and having a closed position and an open position, an aperture of which is adjustable, said diversion means in the closed position diverting all the collected shot particles that arrive at said fixed position by means of said vertical feeder, and in the open position diverting some of the shot particles, based on said adjustable aperture, of the collected shot particles that arrive at said fixed position by said vertical feeder, said diversion means returning the shot particles that have not been diverted to said shot projection means; and
 at least one removing means provided between said diversion means and said collecting level and disposed below said diversion means such that said shot particles that are diverted by said diversion means pass through therein for removing impurities from these shot particles, said removing means returning the shot particles therefrom to said cross feeder. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said fixed position in which said diversion means is provided is located beneath the upper end of said housing. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said removing means is located in said housing. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said cross feeder, said vertical feeder, said shot projecting means, said diversion means, and said removing means are all plural, and the shot particles that are not diverted are supplied to respective shot projection means from a corresponding vertical feeder and diversion means in an open position. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said cross feeder is a screw conveyor arranged horizontally. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said vertical feeder is a screw conveyor that is arranged substantially vertically. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said vertical feeder is a bucket conveyor. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the shot particles that are diverted by said diversion means in the open position based on its adjustable aperture overflow from said diversion means into said removing means. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said housing is provided with at least one elongated groove along a traveling direction of said cross feeder such that said at least one cross feeder is received in said groove at said collection level that is located above the bottom end of said housing, wherein said groove includes an inclined surface for guiding the shot particles to said at least one cross feeder. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein a plurality of said grooves is provided so that each groove receives one cross feeder such that plural cross feeders are arranged parallel to each other. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said apparatus further includes means for distributing the shot particles to respective grooves. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said shot projecting means includes an impeller type shot-peening device or a nozzle type shot-peening device. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said apparatus is a shot-blasting machine, an air-blasting machine, or a shot-peening system. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 12  or  13 , wherein said projection means is attached to a sidewall of said housing. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein two impeller type shot-peening devices are arranged on said sidewall near an upper and lower portion of the housing. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said carriage is any of a conveyor, a hanger, a table, or a drum. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a dust collector is mounted on an outer sidewall of said housing to suck the interior of the housing through a suction tube. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein said suction tube is connected to a source for supplying an ignition suppressant to restrain any ignition of the dust within said dust collector. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 17  or  18 , wherein a plurality of flat cartridge filters are arranged in said dust collector. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 1 , including a classification device between said removing means and said cross feeder to classify the size of the shot particles being returned.